Rants on Life, God, and Pastoring

Latest Stage Design (“Stupid Cupid” Series)

We decided to use a clean new design for February since we had been very themed for Christmas and our Jaunary Series (“CelebReligion”). We are using six Radio Tower Trusses (much cheaper option to Aluminum Trusses from sound and light companies), electrical conduit, and zip ties for our main structure. It is a bit like a large jigsaw puzzle that was frustrating to get together the first time, but very sturdy and cost efficient. We are working on some ideas to simplify the assembly process. The white and red lycra fabric was purchased from Hancock Fabrics and fastened to the trusses with zip ties. Two color changing LED par cans to light the side panels and two to light the front of the stage. The beauty of the structure is that we can add on and rearrange in the future.

Hi A.J.,
The TV’s are sitting on media carts wrapped with queen sized black sheets. We are working on some TV stands that match my preaching podium, but the media carts work great for now.
Thanks for stopping by the blog and for you kind words.

Hey there Josh,
Thanks for posting over at flickr!
Love the idea of sheets. We use table clothes and of course we have a ton of black material.
Now I’m also just starting a blog carnival on Thursday’s called “creative fuZion” to fill the void left after creative chaos stopped.
I am particularly intersted in set designs! I really like your set design.
What was your cost? We are also on a tight budget, mobile, and totally get the loading in and out.

I’ve now subscribed. Your stuff is exactly what I look for.
Is it radio tower or power trusses? I’m trying to research them and can’t seem to find what you are talking about. At least not supply companies.
I’ve wanted to use them before, but like you, found the stage trusses to be expensive.
Any help is appreciated. Even if it is just the name of the company you purchased from.
Thanks again…

They are Radio Towers used for personal Ham Radios. Steel Trusses that are 10 ft tall and weigh about 40 pounds each. The main issue w/ them is that they are not sturdy on their own….we’ve had a couple close calls with them almost falling over while setting up. Be sure you have all hands on deck until they are secured w/ a base or to each other. 🙂

Josh, I love what you’ve done with the setup! I was wondering if you had any drawings/plans of the setup…I was hoping to make something like this for our new setup at our church. Anything you could let me in on would be awesome.

Did you actually build bases for the towers or just link them together with conduit?

Mike,
The towers did not have bases, they were held together by the conduit. We drilled holes in the ends of the conduit and used zip ties to attach them. We used a 10 ft piece of conduit at the top and one at the bottom to hold the back 3 trusses together. Only one piece at the top to hold the 2 front trusses up. It was very stable once it wass put together.
I think we cut the spandex into 5×8 pieces to span the 10×10 space. We just tied knots on the corners and used zip ties to attach them to the trusses.
Thanks for your comment and I hope this helps you get started on your stage.